"Red" ★ ★ ★ ½

For a viewer to really feel anything, the formidable painter Mark Rothko believed, paintings had to pulse and move. They had to be invested with "Red." In John Logan's superbly taut drama, now at the Goodman Theatre under the direction of Robert Falls, Rothko (an expressive Edward Gero) has been commissioned to paint murals for a tony New York restaurant. He justifies the sellout by saying he plans to ruin everyone's digestion; his ambitious, young assistant Ken (a truthful Patrick Andrews) calls him out as a hypocrite. This play, which began at the Donmar Warehouse in London and moved to Broadway, is full of powerful dichotomies, but it's also the kind of play that gets you thinking about your own life, a real achievement. - CHRIS JONES Through Oct. 30 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; $25-$84 at 312-443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org

For a viewer to really feel anything, the formidable painter Mark Rothko believed, paintings had to pulse and move. They had to be invested with "Red." In John Logan's superbly taut drama, now at the Goodman Theatre under the direction of Robert Falls, Rothko (an expressive Edward Gero) has been commissioned to paint murals for a tony New York restaurant. He justifies the sellout by saying he plans to ruin everyone's digestion; his ambitious, young assistant Ken (a truthful Patrick Andrews) calls him out as a hypocrite. This play, which began at the Donmar Warehouse in London and moved to Broadway, is full of powerful dichotomies, but it's also the kind of play that gets you thinking about your own life, a real achievement. - CHRIS JONES Through Oct. 30 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; $25-$84 at 312-443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org

For a viewer to really feel anything, the formidable painter Mark Rothko believed, paintings had to pulse and move. They had to be invested with "Red." In John Logan's superbly taut drama, now at the Goodman Theatre under the direction of Robert Falls, Rothko (an expressive Edward Gero) has been commissioned to paint murals for a tony New York restaurant. He justifies the sellout by saying he plans to ruin everyone's digestion; his ambitious, young assistant Ken (a truthful Patrick Andrews) calls him out as a hypocrite. This play, which began at the Donmar Warehouse in London and moved to Broadway, is full of powerful dichotomies, but it's also the kind of play that gets you thinking about your own life, a real achievement. - CHRIS JONES Through Oct. 30 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; $25-$84 at 312-443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org